5 San Diego Padres players who have been major disappointments this season

You're only as strong as your weakest link. Or in the San Diego Padres' case this season, as strong as five key players who helped derail the team's best chance to clinch back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 2005 and 2006.

It's hard to fathom that this generational assemblage of talent won't be moving forward with their win-now aspirations. In fact, one MLB insider has already called the Padres the biggest disappointment of 2023.

So who's to blame for San Diego's downfall this season? Let's look at these five disappointing players.

1) Manny Machado has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

Let's get this one out of the way: Manny Machado has not lived up to expectations this season.

You may look at his season totals to date and see 26 home runs. But beneath the power numbers tells a different story: a difference of nearly 60 points in OPS between this year and his career numbers, time missed due to (rare) injury and some sloppy play.

There is no other way to put this: A $350 million player shouldn't be worth just 2.6 bWAR, especially when he was worth 6.8 bWAR (over two times more valuable!) in 2022. It stands to reason that this dip in performance is a major reason why the San Diego Padres are likely headed home this October

3) Joe Musgrove has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

Widely considered to be the ace of the San Diego Padres' rotation, righty Joe Musgrove hasn't seen the mound much in 2023.

In just 17 starts this season, Musgrove has been solid, pitching to a 3.05 ERA and striking out 97 batters in 97.1 innings pitched. But need we say it again? Just 17 starts in 2023.

Musgrove has spent the bulk of this season on the injured list, an unfortunate development after a strong 2022 postseason in which he played a major role in getting the Padres to the NLCS. His return to the rotation in 2023 appears uncertain at best, and that's a major disappointment.

Injuries haven't typically been the big righty's calling card since arriving in San Diego; he made a combined 61 regular season starts in 2021 and 2022 (average of 30.5 starts per season). However, that number has been cut nearly in half in 2023, and it's evident that the Padres miss Musgrove's presence on the mound as a stabilizing, if not dominant force within their starting staff.

4) Rich Hill has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

When the San Diego Padres made a move to acquire lefty Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2023 MLB trade deadline, they certainly didn't envision such lackluster play from their summer reinforcements. But we're calling this trade what it appears to be at this moment: a disaster.

Let's focus specifically on Rich Hill, the crafty elder statesman of baseball who has revived his career on the basis of deception and soft contact. Since arriving in San Diego, the 43-year-old has pitched to a ghastly 10.71 ERA in five starts. That won't cut it anywhere, not even on a team as bad as the Kansas City Royals or the Oakland A's, let alone the Padres.

We knew GM A.J. Preller wasn't going to punt on the 2023 season; it's not in his DNA to do so. But not even he could've predicted such a rapid decline from Hill, who had otherwise been solid with the Pirates. It is what it is now, though, and the Padres will have to accept the failure of this deal with Pittsburgh.

5) Yu Darvish has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

Much of a baseball team's chances of making the playoffs hinges on the succes of its pitching staff. So when a third starter is being included on this list, that's not a good thing for the San Diego Padres.

Yu Darvish has been a shell of himself in 2023, with a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts. Though he's still striking hitters out (141 Ks in 136.1 innings pitched), his WHIP of nearly 1.30 would be his highest since 2018.

Signed to a six-year extension last winter at age 36, Darvish's new deal will take him all the way until his age 42 season. And for a starter who is already exhibiting signs of decline, that's ... not great for the Padres.

The good news? Darvish has been healthy, which is more than Joe Musgrove, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo can all say they've been in 2023 (each has dealt with injuries).

Unfortunately, that's a pretty low standard to clear given that we measure results and performance with more emphasis. And in those latter two areas, Darvish has fallen short of expectations this season.